LEADERS TODAY LEGENDS TOMORROW

Contacts

Biographies

Welcome To The Lely JROTC Batallion!

Lely Trojan Batallion

Staff 2014-2015

Lely Trojan Batallion

MLK Parade 2014

The MLK parade is a chance for our cadets to show their mettle. While some schools just enter a small detachment, the Lely High School JROTC Battalion enters every single cadet in the program to march. The result is an unparalleled event in which our cadets excel. We uphold the standard and exceed it with the Lely Standard. ﻿

Lely Trojan Batallion

Lely JROTC Drill Meet

Our Drill team has been working hard all year for this one reason. We are now 4 year Collier County Champions winning 12 out of 18 first place trophies and more than tripling the second place teams total points. Our Drill team has met, exceeded, and set the Lely standard. Lely JROTC Drill continues to excell. ﻿

Lely Trojan Batallion

Raiders State Competition

Our Lely JROTC Raiders placed fourth in the state of Florida among a plethora of other amazing high school JROTC male mixed teams. Our m/m team has put their blood, sweat, time, and more than a few tears into going to state competition. The 2013-2014 Raider Commander C/CSM Carlos Tala remarks "My senior year went out with a blast, I'm glad I had the raiders by my side through it all. I'm extremely proud of them." Good Job to the raiders team and all their hard work. "Raiders lead the way..."﻿

“WHAT IS JROTC?”

JROTC stands for Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. It was established nationally in 1916, and here at Lely High School in 1976. It has as its sole purpose “to motivate young people to be better citizens”. Although it is funded through a partnership between the Department of Defense and local School Districts, JROTC is not intended, designed, nor permitted to prepare or recruit young people for a career in the military; instead it aims to help them get into college and have a better life.

“WHY DO THE STUDENTS WEAR UNIFORMS?”

Students wear the uniform because it helps develop discipline, pride, and motivation. At Lely High School the program is partially funded by the Army, so the students wear Army uniforms; at other schools the programs are partially funded by other branches of the military, so the students there wear those uniforms. Students (known as “cadets” in JROTC classes) at Lely High School wear the uniform only one day a week. The rest of the week they wear their normal school clothes.

“WHAT IS JROTC CLASS LIKE?”

JROTC is like a combination of a Sports Team, a Club, a Social Studies Class, a Health Class, and a P.E. Class. The curriculum is designed nationally to fit in with the Natinal Education Standards, and is then modified locally to fit State Standards and District requirements. The class lasts 48 minutes, and involves citizenship activities, marching practice, and then either academics or athletics, depending on the day of the week. A normal weekly schedule is Monday – Academics, Tuesday – Academics,Uniform and Marching, Wednesday – Leadership Lab, Thursday – Uniform and Marching, and Friday – Athletics.

“WHAT EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES DOES JROTC OFFER?”

JROTC at Lely High School fields competitive teams in the following events: Physical Fitness, Academic Achievement, Brigade Academic Challenge, Squad Drill, Platoon Drill, Company Drill, Exhibition Drill and Color Guard. JROTC Cadets are active in other school activities as well, including all of the school’s competitive Sports Teams, and many clubs on campus, including School Leadership and National Honor Society.

“WHAT ARE THE TEACHERS LIKE IN JROTC?”

Contrary to what you may see in the movies or on TV, the teachers in JROTC are not Drill Sergeants! There are two teachers (called “Instructors” in JROTC) at Lely High School: CW4 (Ret) Harp and Master Sergeant Santiago. Both instructors are retired from the Regular Army with over 50 years total service. CW4 (Ret) Harp retired from the Army in 2009 and has been at Lely High School ever since; he has a B.A. degree from Columbia College. His experience of being the Director / Course Manager of the US. Army Field Artillery Warrant Officer School makes him a passionate advocate for keeping students in school and motivating them to go on to college. Master Sergeant Santiago retired from the Army in 1993. He holds a BS. Degree from Hodges University. Although both of the instructors are retired military men, they are very friendly and approachable, but they will insist on students meeting the standards!

“HOW DO I TAKE JROTC?”

Students (or their parents) desiring to enroll in JROTC simply need to talk to their Counselor. Students successfully passing the JROTC class are awarded either P.E. credit or Elective credit, depending on the individual student’s needs as assessed by their Counselor. Students are always welcome to come down to the JROTC Building and talk to the instructors if they have questions or are interested in the program. The JROTC offices located in the back of the school near the Varsity Locker Room.